Education Minister announces funding for 50 research-informed school conferences

Date published: 13 June 2025

Schools and clusters across Northern Ireland were invited to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to organise conferences that promoted evidence-based teaching and learning. The funding will support events that bring together educators, researchers and school leaders to explore best practices and drive school improvement.

Commending schools for their positive response to the initiative, Paul Givan said: 

“Our schools have once again confirmed that they are at the heart of transforming education, by embracing the opportunity to share and apply research for the benefit of our pupils. I have been particularly impressed by the breadth and quality of proposals submitted, which reflect the strong appetite that I have seen during my school visits for access to practical education research relevant to teaching practice.”

The Minister continued: 

“I committed to providing regular access to high-quality educational research to all teachers. The strong demand for this scheme confirms that teachers value opportunities to engage with evidence that can enhance their professional learning. I am pleased to announce that the Department will issue a further call for applications in the next academic year.”

The Making Best Practice, Common Practice Programme is a key element of the Department’s wider TransformED strategy, which seeks to empower educators by connecting them with cutting-edge research to enhance classroom practice. The conferences funded for the 2025/26 academic year will focus on pedagogy, curriculum development and improving pupil outcomes, fostering collaboration among teachers, researchers and school leaders.